Be sure to include your name, daytime phone number, address, name and phone number of legal next-of-kin, method of payment, and the name of the funeral home/crematory to contact for verification of death.

Family targeting Arlington bar in fatal wreck

The parents of a Watauga woman killed when a drunken driver going the wrong way on U.S. 287 struck her vehicle head-on are asking a Tarrant County civil court judge to allow their attorneys to interview employees at the Arlington bar where the man had been drinking.

Alex Elizabeth Ford, 20, and John Layton, 46, died in the June 21 accident in Grand Prairie. Layton, the driver of the wrong-way vehicle, had been drinking at Cowboys Dancehall and had a blood alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit of 0.08, court documents state.

He is also seeking video showing the inside and outside of the bar, security reports and notes referring to Layton, cash and credit card receipts, and other evidence in preparation for a possible lawsuit.

Cowboys Dancehall officials could not be reached for comment.

Layton was heading south on northbound U.S. 287 in the early morning hours when his 2005 Kia struck Ford's Honda CRV as she was driving home from visiting her boyfriend in Midlothian.

A witness who was on the phone with police at the time of the accident told police that Layton began driving the wrong way at U.S. 287 and Texas 360.

According to court documents, Layton drank heavily at Cowboys and bar employees did not limit his consumption. The documents also referred to post-accident reports.

Ford graduated from Richland High School in 2010, where she was a cheerleader and gymnast, and she was studying psychology at Tarrant County College.

Layton, of Mansfield, was a music teacher at Johnson Elementary School in Grand Prairie.

This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.

Elizabeth Campbell,

817-390-7696

Related

Related

Entertainment Videos

Join the Discussion

Fort Worth Star-Telegram is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.